Driving and steering mechanism for motor-vehicles



R. H. WHITE.

DRIVING AND STEERING MECHANISM FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

' APPLICATION FILED JAN-22, 1919.

1 4 g 1 9 2g 1 q Patented Dec 27 1921,

R. H. WHITE.

DRIVING AND STEERING MECHANISM FOR VICTOR VEHICLESx APPLICATION FILEDJAN-22,1919. r w .i zul wlfi 2 SHEETSSHEE 2- iywerzibfl Patented Dec.27, 1921.

1 Cieveiane frame ef the i i-:1

To (@513 who're may hg2, and Sieve 7 new and us .ing and. hicies, ofwhich and exect cieeer The ebjeet vicie effieient in part of the pmmtez'meei e of driven simite ieitiee are S eci as iii; i elevation. oiside of i'iigu 1.

Referring to the p actere, 10 re n, is to be eei-m'eii 12 and E i ren-meant W0 ":4, from whivh n11 is t he :7 My

siiiiaoie menu the vehii'ie; time is to mini rate, or at enezi'iiz.

i I an.

iesnerl,

this; hive-in TS that steed that suitable mechprovided. for transmittingwe ih'iven shafts by the y 5 i ie vehicle; but since such ehenisni isknown in it veriety of forms has not been thought necessary to Show anyinechenisnl fer that purpose.

15 represents the heiiew drum of certain spur ge: 1' differential}geeni'ingi which. except certain eiiciitione, to which attention willcal-lied is of conventional type. This uifuin has at its ends twooppositely extended I d hoiio'w hubs 16, 17, which are rotameiniteii inthe fi'z nie member 10.

driven shafts 12 and 131- me i'otetively neunteii in these twe hubsi'espectiveiy, and ti-o'- the en is thereof. They like i. ere-t into the(il'ii'fi; and. he gears 20, ectiveiy secured to said shafts 1' 2m. Twoseries 0f coinpei'isat- .il 2E2, 523, are mounted upon and ,i i i thedrum. so that their zixesnre par- 3 (i with the (LIKES of the drum. All(it the nix lions 2&5 mesh with the gear 20, and iii of t; e pinionsmesh with the ee?" 23, emi of the pinions 22 of one series meshes n;pinion .23 of the other A ring: it"; in fixed to the (inferential drum;and iii in, mesh with 1 pinion 3. on a. shaft h is the (I 'iving shzifti'c-i the G llie i. mei-imnisin. This shaft is to he suiti'mmeetoii withthe motor, but it is Iii? once to the-present invention what mechanismis; provided for this nose. he :ii'fl'ei-vntiai mechanism as thus farexgtmi. is at convi-intienni form, and its mnvtion and mode of operationis well understood and therefore requires no extended explanation. itwill be eufiicienthere to cuii attention to the fact that it, While thedrum is being turned, the compensating pinions 22, 23, do not turn ontheir axes. both shafts 12, 14, must rotate in unison with the (il'llID;whereas if the con'ipeneeting piniims 22, 23, (in turn upon their zixee,1'0- geriiloss of how MH'il turning is; prodm-wi,

the said two shafts will he turned, the one eiowm and the othervortespomiingi) faster than the fiii'i fiifiifiiiiai drum;

3: represents a sheit which is mounted in wings (envied by men'ioer 10,said shaft neg pamiiei with the driving shaft. On sis shaft e. frictionWilGGi which has a MEN-7113' greeve driving connection with frictiondisk is in mesh with a bevel gear 32 fixed to shaft 30. Therefore whileshaft rotates, the friction disk 40 will be rotated;

and thereby the shaft will be turned at a rate which depends upon thedistance from the axis of the friction disk of the point at which thefriction wheel 36 engages therewith.

On shaft 35 is a bevel gear 37, which meshes with a bevel gear 51 fixedto a gear sleeve 52 that is rotatively mounted on the drum hub 17. Thisgear sleeve carries a pinion 53, which is in mesh with a pinion 26 thatis fixed to the projectin outer end of a shaft 27 which is rotativelymounted in the ends of the differential drum,-and it isto this shaftthat one of the compensating pinions 22, 23, is secured within thedrum,- it being one of the pinions 23 in the case shown.

It is apparent that there is a position of the friction who-e136 withrespect to the axis of the friction disk 4:0, which will result in therotation of shaft 35 at a rate such that, through the described gearing,the

' gear sleeve 52 will be turnedat exactly the of the'friction disk 40,the velocity of shaft 35 will be accelerated; Wherefore the gear sleeve52 will be turned faster than the differential drum and in thesamedirection. This acceleration of the gear sleeve 52 relative to thedrum 15will cause shaft 27 and the compensating pinion 23 thereon, to

be turned on their axis; and therefore, be-

cause of the inter neshing of pinion 23 with gear 21 on axle shaft l t,the latter will he turned relatively to the drum but in the samedirection. Or in other words, said axle shaft will be turned faster'thanthe differential drum. The velocity of the shaft 14 will then equal thevelocity of the differential drum plus the acceleration in velocity dueto the described turning of the compensating gearQiS.

But the turning of the compensating pin ion 23 on its axis in onedirection will necessarily cause a corresponding; turning inthe reversedlIBCllOD of the compensating pin ion 23 with which it meshes. And thisturnwheel 36.

1' not ,aai.

ing of the compensating pinion 22 will cause the shaft 12 to be turnedbackward relatively to the drum, this backward turning of axle shaft 12relatively to the drum being at the same rate as the forward turning ofaxle shaft 16 relative to the drum. The net result will be that thevelocity of axle shaft 12 will be equal to the velocity of thedifferential drum minus the retardation due to the turning of thecompensating pinion It is clear that the farther the friction wheel 36is moved from the axis of the friction disk, the greater will be theacceleration of the velocity of the shaft 14:; and that at all timesthere will be a corresponding retardation of the axle shaft 12, If,however, the friction wheel 36 be moved toward the axis of the frictiondisk,-fron1 what may be called the neutral position which is that shown,it will cause a retardation in the velocity of the shaft 14:, and acorrespondin acceleration in the velocity of the shaft 12.

Any suitable mechanism may he provided for controlling the position ofthe friction As shown there is an annular groove 38 in the hub 39 of thewheel. A forked arm 30 engages the groove, and is fixed to an endwisemovable bar 61. Any

suitable mechanism may be provided for moving this bar endwise in eitherdirection and any desired distance. By causing the stated movements ofher 61 in one direction or the other, the operator may so control thedescribed mechanism that it will rotate the two shafts l2, lei at thesame velocity, or will turn either, axle shaft faster than the other,and produce any desired differentiation in the velocity of these twoshafts, And at all times both axle shafts will he positively driven, andthere will be almost no friction. losses due to producing thedifierentiated motion of the two axle shafts. 7

The gear ratios in the frhechanism as shown, are such that theretardation of one shaft,'-that is the backward movementofsaid shaft,can never equal the forward turning movementinaparted to said shaft bythe differential mechanism. Therefore, the slowest turning shaft willalways turn in the seine direction thediiferential drum. The ratios ofthe gears as shown have been adopted to insure that both axle shaftsshall alivaysbe turned in the same direction, because that alwaysinsures the forward, if

unequal, movement of both sides of the vehicle But by merely makingchanges in the ratios the described construction couldjhe so reorganizedthat the backward velocity of one shaft relative to the different ialdrlnn could be greater than forward velocity of the drum, in which eventone shaft would he turned slowly 'haclrward lac while the other would beturned forward at a velocity of more than twice that of the"compensating pinion-s, means to rotate the differential gearing, andindependent means to rotate a compensating pinion in either directionabout its own axis and to thereby cause either-of said driven shafts torotate faster than the other.

differential drum, and means operablewhile the'drum is inrotation'to-tnrn oneof said 2. In power transmitting mechanism for tracklaying tractors and other forms of motor vehicles, the combination oftwo a'lined driven shafts, a rotatable differential 20 drum'which isco-axial with said shafts and into which both project, gears fixedrespectively to said shafts within said drum, compensating pinionsmountedon the drum in mesh with said gears, means to rotate thecompensating'pin'ions about its own axis in either dlrectlon and at anydesired rate.

3. In power transmitting mechanism for track laying tractors and otherforms of motor vehicles, the combination of two alined driven shafts,differential gearing therebetween, said differential gearing includingcompensating pinions located within and i 8 mounted upon the.differential drum, one of said compensating pinions being secured to ashaft which projects outside of said drum, v

-the last named shaft and has its pemphmeans to rotate the drum, andindependent means acting on the projecting end of said compensatingpinion shaft to turn it upon its own axis in either direction and atvarious rates of speed.

4. In power transmittim mechanism for track laying tractors and ot erforms of motor vehicles. the combination oftwo driven shafts,differential gearing therebetween, means to rotate said differentialgearing, a rotatable sleeve mounted coagrially with respect to saiddifferential gearing, gearing intermediate of said sleeve and one of thecompensating pinions of said differential gearing, and variable speedmechanism for turning said sleeve.

In power transn'iitting mechanism for track laying tractors and otherforms of motor vehicles, the combination of two driven shafts.differential gearing therebetween, means to rotate said differentialgearing, a rotatable sleeve mounted coaxially with re- W spect to saiddifferential gearing, gearing intermediatc of said sleeve and one of thecompensating pinions of said differential gearing. a shaft geared tosaid sleeve for turning it, and variable speed mechanism 5 for turningsaid. shaft 6. In power transmitting" mechanism for track layingtractors and other forms of motor vehlcles, the combinationof two drivenshafts, differential gearing therebetween,

means to rotate said differential gearing, a rotatable sleeve mountedcoaxially with respect'to said differential gearing, gearing in-'track-laying tractors and other forms of mo tor vehicles, thecombination of two driven shafts, differential gearing therebetwe'en,means to rotate said differential gearing, a rotatable sleeve mountedcoaxially with respect to said differential gearing, gearingintermediate said sleeve and one of the compensating pinions of saiddifferential gearing, a shaft geared to said sleeve for driving it, andvariable speed friction drive mechanism for turning said shaft.

8., In power transmitting mechanism for track laying tractors, and otherforms of motor vehicles, the combination of two driven shafts,differential gearing therebetween, a friction disk, a. driving member,mechanism by which said friction disk and differential gearing arerotated by said driving member, a rotatable sleeve mounted coaxiallywith respect to said differential gearing, gearing intermediate said.sleeve and one of the compensating pinions of said differential gearing,a shaft which is geared to said sleeve, a friction wheel which has atongue and groove driving connection with cry in engagement with saidfriction disk,

and means for shifting said friction wheel one of said compensatingpinions being fixed to a shaft which extends outside of said drum andhasa gear fixed to its projecting outer end, a gear which is mountedcoaxially with said differential drum and is in mesh with the lastmentioned gear, mechanism for turning said differential drum, and othermechanism by which to turn said coaxial gear in the same direction asthe difierential drum and at the same velocity or faster or slower asdesired.

In testimony whereof. I hereunto affix my signature.

' ROLLIN H. WHITE.

